Monday, October 22, 2012

The Matiz Meets Jeju: Fanta Cans, Squid and Pirates

Waking up on a beautiful little knoll overlooking the ocean was nothing short of beautiful and tranquil. The Harringtons took their time walking the pup and breaking camp before loading into the Matiz and hitting the road with the goal being to end up in or near Seogwipo by evening.

Having scoured the map for unique and interesting things to do while on Jeju Island, the couple was intrigued by the possibility of taking a tour of the waters by none other than a submarine. Since there was a submersion site between their current location and the city of Seogwipo the two decided to check it out.

Photobucket Unfortunately, as the couple began their trek toward the submarine tour headquarters they were distracted by the rumble and grumble of what seemed to be a malfunctioning muffler. Unconvinced that they wanted to spend the coming days yelling over wind and muffler rumblings Mike had the bright idea to search out some 'tools' and take a go at patching up this slight nuisance.

So it was, the couple found themselves grabbing breakfast from a local 7-11 and sitting down with a Fanta can, pocket knife and electrical tape with the goal of decreasing the noise level of the sweet little Matiz for the duration of the trip (or for their days in Korea in all actuality).

Soon enough, things were patched and the noise level decreased...for a while at least.




With food in their bellies and car repairs under their belt the couple continued on their way and were soon holding tickets for a pirate-themed submarine experience.

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With a handful of Korean families, a Chinese family and a couple of tour guides the couple loaded onto a boat which would escort them for a short 10 minute boat ride before docking at the submarine loading site.

Once in the submarine the Harringtons were directed to their seats and viewing areas. With everyone seated, the submarine began it's decent into the ocean and within minutes schools of fish were seen swimming past the windows, glittering and fluttering by to the sound of ooh's and ahh's within the submarine.

Adding to the sights of being submerged was a scuba diver who bribed additional schools of fish with snacks and noms. Overall, the Harringtons were impressed with their submerged experience and were thrilled to check off "riding in a submarine" as a life list objective. However, there were a few times that the submarine knocked into what appeared to be coral and other fragile ocean ecosystems making the couple question the Eco-friendliness of this particular experience. If you're into snorkeling and scuba diving, it's definitely a better sea life viewing option...if that sort of thing makes you hyperventilate a bit (such as it does the Mrs.) then perhaps a submarine and/or aquarium are the next best option for ocean life viewing.
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Grateful for this unique experience, the Harringtons let the pup out for a short walk before closing in on Seogwipo and a series of beautiful waterfalls and delicious pork, all worthy of their own post...coming soon!

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